Pine Valley Pistol Club

The history of Pine Valley Pistol Club (PVPC) begins in the early part of 1977 with a dedicated group of pistol enthusiasts .  Through their hard work and vision for the club’s future, they formed a committee, opened to new members and began holding competitions within months.  By 1978, Pine Valley Pistol Club was officially registered as an incorporated association.

The original PVPC range was located on Sydney Road, Gnangara and was situated within the pine plantations.  The club facilities were modest and served the members very well for nearly 20 years.  They included three ranges, a clubhouse, toilet block and it even had a control tower.  The tower was used to coordinate the electronic operated turning target system on the centre range.  At the time, PVPC had the only electronic target system of its kind in operation within practical shooting in Australia.  The control tower was given the name of “Pockets Perch” , aptly named after one of its founding and most colourful members.

PVPC fostered an excellent social atmosphere amongst the members and their families.  Activities with other clubs, fun competitions, family BBQ’s and generally socialising after a club match were all well attended.

Practical shooting competitions had not long been established within Australia and most of the members competing in those early days used the 1911 Colt .45ACP self-loading pistol by choice as they were then considered to be ultimate piece of gear to use.  Other pistols of choice included .357 Smith & Wesson revolvers and the occasional Browning HP 9mm as well.

PVPC can also boast that one of its founding members was the first IPSCA National Handgun Champion in 1976 by winning the very first National Championships in South Australia.  In 1979 the 3rd IPSCA National Handgun Championships were hosted by the PVPC during the Easter Weekend and the association has continued to take its turn in holding this premier event when it’s time for Western Australia to host the championships.

It was by chance that a new land development was being created approximately 500m from behind the Gnangara ranges and after discussions with the local council, the association was notified that it had to vacate the old range site by the end of December 1996.

Due to the dedication, hard work and foresight of its leading members, PVPC had already begun negotiating with what was then known as the Western Australian Shooting Association (WASA) who were coordinating the establishment of the Whiteman Park International Shooting Complex.  These negotiations began in the early 1980’s and the need to move by 1996 saw the establishment of the new PVPC complex become a priority.  With the members support the funds were raised and by September 1996 the members were using the new range for their competitions.

Since then, PVPC has continued to grow in membership, improve its facilities and maintain its excellent reputation nationally and internationally for being one of the best shooting facilities completely dedicated to practical shooting disciplines.